Interdistrict
by angelic-bitch
Summary: Cato won the 74th Hunger Games. He is now a mentor. Another mentor from district 4, Coral, catches his eye. She is passionate and unable to hide her emotions. With every encounter they have he finds himself wanting to know more about her. She thinks he's cold and heartless. Will he prove her wrong? Disclaimer: I do not condone or promote Cato's behaviour. I am writing this for me.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Broken**

Coral looked from Cato's smug expression to Seneca Crane's raised eyebrow.

"No! NO!" Coral protested in a tone of desperation. "You can't do this!"

Seneca ignored her outburst as he seriously considered Cato's suggestion. "It _would_ make the lead up to the games more interesting. Those who were rooting for her would be devastated once the news spreads."

"That's all I'm saying sir." Cato said as he smiled at the game maker.

"No! Y-You can't seriously be considering this. It's not fair! She'll die as soon as the game starts!" Coral was panicking. She barely felt Finnick's hand on her shoulder. It did nothing to calm her down.

"She was going to die anyway," came Cato's nonchalant response. Coral suddenly saw red and without thinking she lunged at Cato. Finnick's reflexes were quick though and his arms circled around her middle and held her firmly in place.

"Coral! Stop!" he hissed in her ear. But she couldn't hear him. The blood was pounding in her ears. All she wanted to do was knock Cato to the floor and beat him repeatedly until he bled all over the pristine hospital tiles.

"Ms Blackstone," came Seneca Crane's cold voice. He moved slowly and stood in front of her, finally acknowledging her. "Control yourself. You are an embarrassment."

His cutting words snapped her out of her aggressive state and she became almost limp in her mentoring partner's arms. Crane simply walked out of the infirmary hallway unfazed.

Why was she surprised? These people were soulless. Why did she even care? Caring about anything only meant inviting more pain into your life. She knew this, so why didn't she just give in and let herself become numb like the other mentors. Coral sighed and absentmindedly played with the jade owl pendant on her necklace. _Because I made a promise. That's why._

The blonde 74th Hunger Games victor didn't make any move to leave the hallway. He was looking at the district 4 tribute through the infirmary window with a grin. He was lucky that Finnick was still holding Coral in place.

"You did this," she growled to his turned back. He turned around and shrugged.

"Just gives my tributes a better chance in the games. It's nothing personal 4." He then looked her up and down. She suddenly felt as if his eyes were burning into her skin and she felt her whole body become more alert and her cheeks flushed uncontrollably.

Cato cocked his head to the side as he examined her. Her eyes shot daggers at him, her cheeks were a rosy pink and her mouth was open slightly breathing a bit heavier than normal. She clearly hated him but he didn't care. She was stunning. He briefly wondered why he hadn't noticed her properly before. She had been around for the last two years since she was the Victor of the 79th Games but he had never truly _seen_ her.

"It's cheating!" she spat out venomously.

Cato's eyes that had wandered down to the strappy red high heels she was wearing snapped up to her accusing eyes.

"How is suggesting that your tribute enter the Games with her broken leg cheating?" he asked in a condescending tone.

Coral's eyes narrowed. "Do you seriously expect us to believe that this wasn't part of some dickheaded plan of yours to have her fall down the stairs and be rendered useless?"

Cato scoffed. "Sweetheart, both my tributes scored a 10 for their skills and your girl scored a 7. She had no chance to beat them. Do you really think with those scores that I would feel the need to sabotage your tribute?"

"Corry that makes sense." Finnick said as he let go of her gently.

Coral glared at Finnick as if he had betrayed her. What Cato was saying made sense but she hated him for convincing Crane to not have Violet's leg healed before the games. With the technology they had in the Capitol the doctors could easily fix it within a day and she'd be back to normal. She would have had a chance in the games.

"Violet." Coral snarled.

"What?"

"Her name is Violet not _tribute_." She snapped. The blonde rolled his eyes and placed his hands in his suit pocket as he made to walk through the hospital hallway doors.

"You shouldn't care so much 4. It's a lot more fun that way."

Both Coral and Finnick watched as he left. She disliked most of the former victors accept for a select few, but disliking Cato didn't even come close to describing how much she loathed the district two mentor.


	2. Chapter 2: The Chase

**Chapter 2: The Chase**

Even though her tribute was passed out from the drugs she was given, Coral stayed by her bedside. She fell asleep in her chair and around midnight felt Finnick gently shake her arm to wake her up.

He convinced her to go to her room to sleep. She was grateful that he didn't make any comments about wasting her time with Violet since she would be dead soon. She knew he was thinking it but she was grateful to him for not saying it.

She wished she could detach herself from her emotions as easily as he did but she couldn't. Last year and the year before had been the same. When her tributes had died she had grieved for them. Finnick had simply been disappointed and within a day he had gotten over it. A part of her envied him and wished she could be like that, but she couldn't let herself become that way. The Games had already taken so much from her, she wasn't about to let them take her humanity. Feeling loss and pain was a part of being human. She had promised that she wouldn't become a mindless drone like a lot of the other victors.

Instead of heading up to the 4th floor, Coral decided to stay on the ground floor and go to the hotel bar. It was an extravagant space like all places in the Capitol. Giant, sparkling chandeliers hung from the roof as soft jazz played in the background. She briefly wondered how much one of the chandeliers were worth and how many people it could feed if it were sold. Thinking about it made her nauseous. It disgusted her. She pushed her thoughts aside, walked to the bar and sat upon one of the stools and ordered a drink.

Without realising it, as she sipped her icy, raspberry daiquiri, she began rehearsing in her mind what she would say to Violet when she woke. How could she tell her that her leg was going to remain broken? How do you tell someone facing death that it would now be certain? That there is no chance of coming out alive at all?

Coral's thoughts were interrupted when someone sat down on the stool next to her. She didn't turn to look at them but her peripheral vision told her they were broad and muscular.

"Can I buy you another drink sweetheart? You look like you need some cheering up."

She turned to see Cato smirking at her. She downed the rest of her drink hastily and set it down on the bar with a light clink.

"I was just leaving," she responded curtly as she hopped off the stool. She wasn't going to deal with this asshole tonight. She didn't want to have anything to do with him.

The last thing she expected him to do was follow her to the elevator.

"Oh come on love, there's no need to be that way," he taunted as he caught up to her. She ignored him and walked faster but her small steps were no match for his long strides.

When they reached the elevator she pushed the 'up' button harder than was needed.

"You know, most women let me by them a drink before they invite me up to their room but I'm happy to make an exception for you since you're so desperate to get upstairs."

Coral was no longer ignoring him.

"I didn't invite you anywhere asshole!" she snapped as she turned to look at him. Her response was meet with a smug grin. He had got her to speak to him. She wanted to punch that grin right off his face.

"There's no need to fight it love. I would show you a good time. You clearly need it. All you do is frown."

Coral's temper flared and she glared daggers at him.

"I don't sleep with people who take pleasure in murdering the innocent. I remember how you were in the Games. I know what you are and what your idea of a good time is. Forgive me if you beating the crap out of me while you rape me doesn't sound appealing!"

Cato was no longer smiling. He swallowed nervously as he processed what she had said but she didn't notice. She wanted to get away from him as quickly as she could so she pressed the button again with more fervour than the last time.

The elevator let out a soft 'ding' as it reached the ground floor and the doors slid open. Cato watched Coral step in without saying anything but as the doors began to close he composed himself and jutted his arm out aggressively to stop them.

Coral looked up in surprise. Cato gracefully stepped into the elevator without saying anything, he then calmly placed his hands in his jacket pockets and patiently waited for the doors to close again.

He was looking straight ahead and not at her and the realisation suddenly hit her with full force that she was about to be trapped in a confined space with a dangerous predator who she had just insulted.

As the doors closed a bolt of nervous energy jolted through her body. She prepared for him to attack her but it didn't come. They passed each floor in silence and when it reached the fourth floor she let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. That's when it came.

Cato swiftly pulled on the leaver that stopped the elevator, spun to face her and slammed her against the wall.

 **Review if you want to know what happens next…**


	3. Chapter 3: Judgement Day

**Chapter 3: Judgement Day**

His hands were gripping her shoulders tightly but she barely registered the way his fingers dug into her skin because his eyes were locked onto hers, piercing through her physical being into her soul. Even though she was trapped, she noticed that his eyes were a beautiful crystal blue like the soft waves back home when the water was smooth, but like the sea, their beauty came with a wild, natural brutality. She was terrified of what he might do but was also somehow calm. She recognised the feeling. She remembered it all too well from The Games. Every day there had been an obvious fear that this day would be the day she would die, but as time passed there came a type of resignation, an acceptance that it would happen and that since she couldn't do anything about it, she shouldn't care.

She felt her body welcome the feeling and she no longer cared what Cato would do to her even though she was still scared.

"Does this make you feel in control?" Coral taunted calmly. "What are you going to do? Snap my neck? Choke me to death? Go on, do it. _It's the only thing you know how to do!_ "

She said the last part viciously and his grip on her shoulders became tighter. She had just thrown his words back in his face from the day he had won The Games. It had been him and the two lovers from 12 who were left and the Gamemakers had changed the rules. There could be two victors if they came from the same district and it was then that he had realised that he had trained his whole life as a product of entertainment. He remembered it clearly.

 _***FLASHBACK***_

 _Cato's face was bloody from his fight against Thresh. He had Peeta Mellark in a headlock ready to snap his neck. The only thing stopping him was that Katniss Everdeen, "the Girl on Fire" was pointing an arrow straight at him. That and the fact that a part of him actually wanted to die. If he died, he wouldn't have to feel this way. Like a worthless, mindless, killing machine. He looked at this girl before him fighting because she had something to live for. She had volunteered for The Games because of her love for her sister. He had volunteered for the glory. So if he won, what did he have to live for? What did he have back home? More training sessions with his father? Weapons for every birthday present? Were they reasons to live?_

" _Go on. Shoot! Then we both go down and you win." Peeta struggled against him but he was stronger._

" _Go on!" He said to her as his eyes teared up. "I'm dead anyway. I always was right? I didn't know that 'til now." He laughed slightly at his stupidity for not seeing it._

 _Everdeen's arrow was still pointed at him but he barely noticed._

" _How's that?" he looks up knowing the Gamemakers were listening. "Is that want they want? Huh?"_

 _He turned back to Katniss. "Huh?" he asked her. He wanted answers. It was unfair. His life had been stolen from him since the day he had been born. He had experienced nothing. It was then that he realised he wanted more. Mellark struggled against him harder._

" _No, nah, nah, I can still do this! I can still do this!" He manically tried to convince himself.  
_

" _One more kill._ _ **It's the only thing I know how to do.**_ _Bringing pride to my district. Not that it matters." What mattered was that if he could survive this, he could return home and live. Actually live. It would be over. He would have no reason to train every single day. He could start again._

 _He made up his mind. He had to be the winner if he wanted to experience something real. He used all the strength he had left to snap Peeta Mellark's neck and then he pushed the body into Katniss Everdeen's using her district partner as a weapon to knock her down. Her arrow went flying and he wobbly dodged it as she fell down. She hurriedly pushed the body off hers and moved to get up swiftly. Cato was faster. He gracelessly jumped on top of her and choked her to death. He saw the moment her life left her body._

 _The cannon boomed. He had won._

 _Not that it mattered._

 _***END OF FLASHBACK***_

"You think you know me because of The Games but you don't." he hissed dangerously. He looked her up and down and locked eyes with her again. "Are you who they say you are? Did the cameras capture everything about you worth knowing?"

He was right. The image her team had created for her and the edited clips from The Games barely showed any truth to who she actually was, but so what? She didn't have to look at how he acted in The Games to know the type of person he was.

"How you were in The Games has nothing to do with it!" Coral spat at him. "You convinced Crane to send my girl in with a broken leg and I'm still not convinced that you didn't somehow arrange for her to fall down the stairs! All you care about is your district winning. Do you feel anything at all?"

Cato's hands left her shoulders and as they did Coral saw the fight leave his eyes. His expression was blank.

"No," he answered calmly without looking at her. "I am a robot and an unfeeling whore."

Coral blinked in surprise. He ignored her and simply pulled the lever to restart the elevator. As the door opened at the fourth floor he moved aside to give her room to leave and she did, completely confused about what had just transpired between them.

 **Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4: Falling Scales

**Chapter 4: Falling Scales**

The next evening while their tributes were being primped and pampered for their live interviews with Caesar Flickerman, Coral relayed what had happened between her and Cato to her mentoring partner. She found that he was not surprised by what Cato had said.

"Well? Don't you think it's odd?" Coral was sitting on the couch in their district quarters with a glass of white wine in her hand, while Finnick was standing in front of the floor length mirror on the wall trying to do up his tie.

Finnick sighed and then turned to glower at her.

"What? Well, don't you?"

"It must be nice," He remarked as he turned back away from her and undid the blue silk at his throat.

"What must be nice?" Coral was confused at why her always charming partner was acting so serious.

Finnick scoffed and shook his head. "To not have a clue what it's like to be a wanted victor. Must be nice."

Finnick watched how Coral's look of confusion deepened. He let out a hollow laugh and his eyes narrowed when he spoke next.

"You are not beautiful and your victory in the Games came about because the two main contenders killed each other in the end and you were the one left standing. You are hardly _memorable_."

Coral blinked as she took in this information. It would have been an insult if he hadn't said it with obvious jealousy.

"I don't understand," she admitted after a long pause. "What does being memorable have to do with anything?"

Finnick scoffed again but didn't say anything. She watched as he fumbled and fussed with his tie never doing it up to his satisfaction. Their conversation was clearly making him more and more agitated. Coral decided to change the subject.

"I spoke to Violet this morning while you were training Douglas."

Finnick's movements stilled.

"She took it much better than I expected. She surprised me actually. She wants to jump off the podium before the countdown ends so that the land mine blow her up. Wants to be in control of her own death! Born of the ocean no question."

The blonde's lips turned upwards at that. 'Born of the ocean' was something they said in district four to describe someone who acted like the waters of the sea. In this case it was Violet's strength and fury.

"Good girl!" Finnick whispered with pride. He then turned to Coral with a serious expression upon his face.

"Tonight after the interviews, at the pre-Games party. You should watch how Snow is with Cato."

Coral's brows furrowed. She opened her mouth to ask why but she was cut off.

"Just watch."

THGTHGTHGTHGTHGTHGTHGTHGTHGTHGTHGTHGTHGTHGTHGTHGTHGTHGTHG

This years tributes where tucked in their beds (not that they could sleep) while the pre-Games celebrations took off. There were fireworks, more than enough food that could feed all the districts and the drinks flowed faster than the tide. Coral hated it.

They were in a massive dining hall at President Snow's mansion. The music was lively, some people were dancing and others were sitting and chatting excitedly about the Games and who they hoped would win.

After chatting with a potential sponsor Coral sat down next to Haymitch Abernathy who was alone at a table. She did so mainly to have a few moments of peace. To anyone not paying much attention it would look like she was still socialising when really she was just enjoying her wine while knowing that she could sit in silence. There was never any pressure with Haymitch, he would drink and she would drink (though definitely not as much as he did) and not a word had to be said. When words were said they were blunt and honest and she liked that about him.

As Coral sipped her dry white wine her eyes moved around the hall and found Cato. He was dancing with a young woman whose hair was bright green and spiky, a potential sponsor. He twirled her around and chuckled. Coral rolled her eyes. Flirting to get a sponsor's attention was not uncommon. She was never any good at it but Finnick was a master. She then remembered what Finnick had said.

She scanned the hall to find Snow. He was at the head table in the hall speaking to Seneca Crane. There was nothing going on between Snow and Cato at that moment, they never even looked in each other's direction. Coral sighed, she was going to have to directly ask Finnick what he had meant.

The party moved on into the night, Coral put on her fake smile and approached as many sponsors as she could. She didn't didn't mention Violet, there was no point. Douglas was the tribute she had to focus on now. He had scored a 6 which meant that she and Finnick didn't have much to work with - well, that's what it meant to the sponsors. To her it meant nothing. She herself had only scored a 5 and here she was, the victor of the 79th Games. Still alive.

Coral was talking to Seeder, one of the older victor's, when she noticed President Snow talking to Cato and another woman at one of the tables. The woman looked to be in her mid fifties. She wore outrageously high golden heels, a purple fluffy dress and yellow feathers stuck out of her hair at odd angles. Snow seemed to be introducing her to the district two mentor and of course, Cato was all smiles and charm. Coral watched as Snow beamed at the both of them, then clapped Cato on the shoulder in a friendly manner and left the victor and the older woman alone. The woman was all over him. Whenever he would speak she would giggle and playfully swat his arm.

Cato leaned over to whisper something in the her ear and then kissed her on the cheek. The woman laughed hysterically and Coral saw her move her hand to squeeze his upper thigh. She thought it was disgusting that the district two mentor would stoop so low as to flatter a woman over double his age in this way just to get her on his tribute's side. Finnick flirted verbally, sure, but there was never this much touching.

"Darling don't make your disgust so obvious," came a soft voice beside her. "You don't want Snow to see your disapproval."

Coral's eyes snapped to the elder victor.

"What?"

"Well I can't imagine that Snow would be happy to see how you feel about _those_ kind of exchanges." Seeder nodded her head discreetly in Cato and the woman's direction. "You have to be careful." She warned.

Before Coral could ask what she meant Seeder was halfway across the hall heading towards Haymitch. Coral turned her attention back to Cato and his partner. What had Seeder meant?

She watched as an avox came with a tray to offer the couple another drink and that's when she saw it. It happened when the woman moved away from the district two mentor to take a glass off the tray, Cato's mask of charm fell for a split second to reveal a look of disgust and despair. He hated the woman. He didn't want to talk to her let alone let her touch him. Coral blinked and his mask was back on. But she had seen it, his anger, his helplessness. What was stopping him from walking away?

The answers came to her in a rush. Both Cato and Finnick's words echoed in her head.

 _No, I am a robot and an unfeeling whore._

 _It must be nice...to not have a clue what it's like to be a wanted victor._

Coral's eyes scanned the hall for Finnick until she spotted him drinking with one of the district one victor's, Gloss. She practically ran to him and without a hint of discretion pulled him away so she could confirm what she already knew.

"Whoa, easy there Corry! How much have you had to drink?"

Coral swallowed and suddenly found herself speechless. It was all she could do to try to contain her emotions. She couldn't control her tears though. She sobbed quietly and fell into her friend's arms.

"Hey, hey it's ok." He soothed as he patted her back gently. "You've just had a few too many drinks and some memories have come up and this whole thing with Violet is overwhelming and..."

The dark haired victor pulled back and shook her head. Still holding her arms, the blonde searched her eyes for an answer to why she was crying.

"Snow h-he sells the victors who _are_ memorable doesn't he?" She whispered. "The ones who are beautiful and desirable, he sells their bodies to the highest bidder and..."

Finnick's grip on her arms tightened and she stopped talking. He looked around to see if anyone was near enough to overhear them.

"I can't do this now." He stated sharply. "You're going to go outside and let the night air calm you down and then you're going to come back and smile and talk to the other guests like everything is normal. Do you understand?"

Coral nodded and took a deep breath and turned to head for the giant, white marble doors.

Once she had managed to get a handle on her emotions she re-entered the party and swiped a fresh glass of wine off a tray nearby. She didn't trust herself to talk to anyone so she made a beeline to where Haymitch was still sitting and settled there. The celebrations would be over soon as most people wanted to get a good nights sleep so they could wake in time for the Games to start tomorrow.

Coral couldn't stop her eyes from darting towards Cato and the older woman. She would undoubtedly be taking him back to her bed tonight. It made Coral feel sick. She disliked the district two mentor with a fiery passion but she would never wish this type of abuse on anyone.

It was a simple movement that made her snap. The older woman had simply reached out and moved a strand of hair from Cato's eye. Coral felt the rage bubble up inside her. It had been such an intimate, gentle gesture. It wasn't right. She was basically going to use him as a sex slave and she dared to act caring? Coral wouldn't stand for it and before she could stop herself she was marching in their direction.

 **Want to know what happens next?**


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